The Guardians may be out of the 2026 postseason picture, but the bigger question hanging over Cleveland is what comes next - and how much of that answer still runs through José Ramírez.
Cleveland’s season ended Monday with a loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Championship Series. The Guardians pushed the eventual AL champs to six games, then watched a 2-1 series lead slip away as Tampa Bay won three straight to close it out.
That leaves the front office staring at an offseason full of uncertainty. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports laid out several of the key issues facing the club, including possible extensions and Steven Kwan’s future. He also zeroed in on the most familiar name in the lineup: Ramírez, and whether his production is starting to move in the wrong direction.
“Is José Ramírez still a star?” Axisa wrote.
“This past season, third baseman José Ramírez became the Guardians’ franchise leader in games played (1,734) in what turned out to be his worst season since becoming a regular in 2016. Ramírez went from MVP candidate in 2025 to just OK in 2026.
For more reasons than one, the Guardians have to hope Ramírez’s down 2026 was a result of the hamate injury and not the start of a trend.”
Ramírez is 34, so some natural decline would not be a shock. Before the hamate bone fracture, he still looked like a quality hitter, posting a 110 wRC+ over the first couple of months. That’s productive, but not the elite level Guardians fans have grown used to seeing from him.
The real drop came after he returned from a five-week stay on the injured list in July. The power disappeared, and the numbers never fully recovered. He closed the regular season with a 92 wRC+ and a .368 slugging percentage, both his lowest marks since 2015.
Then October arrived, and Ramírez looked far more like himself. In the postseason, he hit .293/.396/.512 with a pair of homers and a 152 wRC+, a strong reminder of what he can still bring when he’s right.
That’s why the most sensible read on his 2026 season is still incomplete. The Guardians probably need to see what he looks like over a healthy stretch next year before making any grand judgment. A rebound in 2027 is still on the table, but so is the possibility that the decline continues.
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Steven Kwans Guardians Comments Mean More Than Fans Might Think
Steven Kwans season finished on a far better note than it began, and the broader view matters here as much as the numbers. After a rough first half, he settled in and finished with a strong 114 wRC+, reinforcing why he remains one of the more valuable everyday pieces on the roster. Along the way, he also made clear how he feels about the group around him, praising the Guardians young core and sounding genuinely energized by what the club could become.
Those comments carry extra weight because Kwan is no ordinary talking point for the front office. He is moving toward his contract year in 2027, which puts Cleveland in the familiar position of weighing whether to extend a homegrown player or eventually cash in on his value. For a team built around young, controllable talent, Kwans outlook is a reminder that the Guardians may soon have to decide whether their vision for the future includes one of their most reliable bats for the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Near-Miss Put Three Roster Problems Front And Center
A familiar postseason frustration has pushed Cleveland right back into roster-building mode. After falling to Tampa Bay in six games in the American League Championship Series, the Guardians enter the winter with the same basic mandate that has shadowed them for stretches of the season: find more offense and shore up the starting rotation if they want to take the next step.
Those needs also narrow the priorities. Cleveland could use help in the outfield, with Jarren Duran among the names worth tracking, and the rotation has room for another arm such as Michael Detmers. There is also the more obvious hole at first base, where the Guardians still need a reliable everyday answer, and solving even one of those issues would go a long way toward making the lineup and staff fit together better. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Face A Tough First Base Call After ALCS Run
The Guardians run ended in the American League Championship Series, and the next phase of the offseason is already starting to come into focus. Along with the usual list of contract decisions, Cleveland has a few familiar names headed toward free agency, including Nathaniel Lowe, Austin Hedges, Rhys Hoskins and Foster Griffin, while Shawn Armstrongs situation sits in the middle with a mutual option to sort through.
First base is one of the more interesting calls on the board. Cleveland has to decide whether to keep Lowe in the mix or let him walk, and the answer could shape how quickly a younger option gets a real look. Ralphy Velazquez is among the prospects the organization is weighing for future contributions, which makes this a position to watch as the Guardians try to turn an encouraging playoff finish into a more settled roster plan. [Read more 🡒]